One of the big questions about hormonal post-coital contraception has been, "How does it really work?". This is a big deal to pro-lifers because whether something prevents the egg and sperm from meeting or whether it blocks a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus and being nourished is a life-and-death difference.
The Population Council has published the results of animal and human studies that concluded that emergency contraception acts by hindering ovulation long enough for all the sperms to die off, therefore preventing fertilization. It appears from these studies that EC had no effect if ovulation had already occurred. So women who have already ovulated will still end up getting pregnant at the same rates whether they take EC or not.
I haven't seen any other research that looks in this much detail at the physiological effects of EC, so I don't have anything else to compare this to. But from the looks of this, it appears that we can look at EC as a viable, non-violent means of contraception.
Two thoughts:
1) I would be very suspicious of any study that comes from a group like the Population Council. They seem to have a certain bias in this area.
2) EC uses progestin. The American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) released a study about oral contraceptives some years ago. That study also deals with progestin-based forms of hormonal contraception, specifically the minipill and Norplant. They found that progestin-only contraception could be effective, but also increased the chance of ectopic pregnancies if conception managed to occur.
Still, the study is food for thought. If EC really isn't an abortifacient, then suddenly those "common-ground" proposals from the pro-choicers (all of which emphasize EC) seem a little more reasonable....
Posted by: Naaman | Monday, May 23, 2005 at 11:01 AM
Aieee!! Forgot to close a link tag! Abject apologies.... :(
Fixed it for you -- Joan
Posted by: Naaman | Monday, May 23, 2005 at 11:02 AM
Hey, if it prevents karyogamy (nuclear fusion of the ovum and sperm), I'm all for it.
Posted by: Glaivester | Monday, May 23, 2005 at 06:28 PM